REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.- To address the growing demand for Oracle technology products by small and medium businesses, Oracle today unveiled a streamlined “ORACLE 1-CLICK ORDERING” process, that will assist partners and customers to more easily resell and purchase Oracle small and medium business (SMB) software. With this announcement, Oracle is broadening access to its SMB Technology products to thousands of new resellers and customers.

To support this effort, a new SMB Technology Program Office has been established to drive new programs with the goal to increase access of Oracle SMB Technology products for customers and partners and lower transactions costs. With a customer base of more than 180,000 small and medium businesses, Oracle is responding to requests from its channel partners to offer streamlined programs for distributors that help serve small and medium businesses.

Streamlined Order Fulfillment Process & SMB Packaging
With this announcement, Oracle is unveiling a new streamlined process - ORACLE 1-CLICK ORDERING - that significantly reduces the time required to book and fulfill an order for Oracle SMB Technology products - currently defined as Oracle(r) Database 10g Standard Edition and Standard Edition One; Oracle Application Server Java Edition, Standard Edition and Standard Edition One; and Oracle Business Intelligence Standard Edition and Standard Edition One. By identifying that an order is for SMB Technology products, a new process is initiated that triggers an order entry number and URL to be sent back to the purchaser, who then can choose an online or a physical order fulfillment.

If electronic fulfillment is elected, the purchaser can download the software, type in an order entry number and receive the product after clicking through simplified terms and conditions. If physical fulfillment is chosen, the purchaser will receive an Oracle SMB Media kit comprising a DVD that includes Oracle Database 10g or Oracle Application Server with binaries for the Windows operating system and one for the Linux operating system, enabling customer choice. Also in the box will be Oracle’s Terms & Conditions, which will be agreed to with the opening of the package.

“We are reaching out to the ”S“ portion of SMBs with programs and processes that match their needs. To that end, we have significantly streamlined our order and fulfillment processes and are removing barriers to entry for our partners and customers,” said Judson Althoff, vice president of Global Platform & Distribution Sales and Head of the the Oracle Technology SMB Program Office. “With these new enhancements, we’re broadening access to a new base of SMB resellers and customers that buy and resell our SMB technology products. We’re making Oracle as easy a choice for resellers as Microsoft on the low end, and provide more flexibility on the high end, resulting in better solutions for our customers and more opportunities for our partners.”

“These types of programs put Oracle in a customer segment where it didn’t have a presence before,” said Michael Fauscette, vice president, Software Applications Research at IDC. “This new program demonstrates a level of commitment to SMBs for its technology products and shows that Oracle is serious about growing its business with SMB customers. One of the keys to increasing Oracle’s sales to SMB customers is optimizing how vendors get their products to SMBs - with this new approach Oracle shows that it’s serious about selling to SMB customers and that it understands what SMB resellers and customers need.”

Partners Around the Globe Agree
This new order fulfillment process not only shortens the fulfillment cycle time from a few weeks to less than a day, but increases profitability for partners by eliminating the administrative back-and-forth formerly needed to sign extended contracts and shepherd the fulfillment process itself.

“Arrow ECS’ partners will benefit greatly from an enhanced ordering process that simplifies terms and conditions for small dollar deals,” said Matt Reaves, vice president of North American enterprise software for Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions’ global software business unit.

“Unlike other Enterprise companies targeting these customers, Oracle has tailored its strategy and product set to address the specific needs of SMB customers. In doing so, they have removed many of the obstacles that typically prevent small companies from partnering with larger organizations. This unprecedented and refreshing flexibility will open Oracle up to mass market opportunities that their Enterprise rivals will still be dreaming of for years to come,” said Jared Cary, vendor relations director, Northamber UK, Ltd.